A 21-year-old woman whose friend was brutally attacked at Central Park Saturday morning is shaken, but will not be silenced.

The woman, who CTV News has chosen to keep anonymous because she fears for her safety, said she and her friend were at Central Park early Saturday morning when two strangers approached. 

“They showed us their knives, threatening to hurt us if we didn’t give them our backpacks and phones and so we did without hesitation,” she said. 

She said the strangers returned her phone, but then took her friend’s phone. They demanded his phone’s passcode, but her friend, who she believes was too nervous, forgot. 

“That’s when they started to throw punches and they started to literally slice him up and stab him everywhere. Mostly in the face, in the head, on the legs. I had to watch all of this happen because they wanted me to. They sat him beside me through it all,” she said.

The woman said the attackers also threatened her and started to choke her and bang her head on the rocks. 

The woman tells CTV News she had a flight or flee moment. When the attackers weren’t looking, she made a split-second decision to run as fast as she could. It was enough of a distraction that her friend ran away too. Both called 9-1-1 and he was rushed to hospital. 

“He was transported in critical condition. He has been stabilized, has been worked on but they’re life-altering injuries,” said Const. Rob Carver with the Winnipeg Police Service. 

Police found the two suspects at a hotel shortly after. Both have been arrested and charged with several offences. 

While the woman said that’s brought some relief, she’s still nervous and has a message for others. 

“Obviously I am terrified to leave my place now without someone with me and I think I’m going to be like that for the longest time but I do want people to know you have to be so cautious of their surroundings and now I’m going to be more than ever as well,” she said. 

Winnipeg Police have arrested 25-year-old Kenneth Alfred Alex McKay of God’s River and 23-year-old Michael Frank Flett of Winnipeg in connection with the incident. Both have been charged with robbery, aggravated assault, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and uttering threats.